Enterprise-wide resource planning

One approach for the seamless support of the entire supply chain of a company are so-called ERP systems (enterprise resource planning) [811]. The basic idea of an ERP system is that of a centralized database, which stores company-wide all relevant data concerning the business processes. This approach fails, because a monolithic ERP system cannot fulfill all conceivable requirements in general [817]. Nowadays, a typical company uses on average 50 different, mission-critical applications for the support of its business processes, as empirical studies have shown [830]. Furthermore, for economic reasons it is not feasible to replace these legacy systems by new applications [973]. 

An enterprise-wide OEMS enables a company to do on an operational basis what well-known enterprise resource planning systems enable it to do on a financial basis. It affords a clear line of sight into corporate activities, from the individual operator level up to the enterprise level. Unlike financial information systems, which track what employees, facilities, and departments are earning or spending, the operational information system tracks what they are actually doing and measures how they do it. 

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